Description
Genuine Pleydellia aalensis Ammonite Fossil
This carefully selected fossil is a genuine Pleydellia aalensis ammonite from La Clapier in Aveyron, France. It dates to the Upper Toarcian, the final part of the Lower Jurassic. The photographs show the actual specimen you will receive, allowing its natural form, preservation, colour, matrix and visible fossil detail to be examined before purchase. Please refer to the photographs for full sizing and scale.
Upper Toarcian Geology
The Toarcian Age lasted from approximately 182 to 174 million years ago. During its later part, southern France lay beside warm marine waters connected with the western Tethys Ocean. Mud, carbonate-rich sediment and other material accumulated on seabeds and in local basins, preserving ammonites, belemnites, bivalves and diverse sea life.
The Toarcian was an interval of important environmental change involving climate, sea level and ocean oxygenation. Ammonite lineages evolved rapidly through these changing conditions. Their fossils are therefore especially useful for recognising biozones and correlating rock layers between separate European regions.
Pleydellia aalensis
Pleydellia is an extinct ammonite genus within the order Ammonitida. Ammonites were marine cephalopods related to living squid, octopus and nautilus. Their coiled shells were internally divided into chambers. The animal occupied the final body chamber, while sealed earlier chambers helped regulate buoyancy.
Pleydellia aalensis is especially important near the transition between the latest Toarcian and the Aalenian. The species name reflects Aalen, the locality that gave its name to the Aalenian Stage. Identification considers shell coiling, whorl proportions, umbilical width, ribbing and the form of the outer margin. This ammonite helps document evolutionary change around the boundary between the Early and Middle Jurassic.
Fossil preservation varies naturally. A specimen may retain original shell material, mineral replacement, an external impression or an internal mould formed when sediment entered the shell before burial. Matrix, worn surfaces, fractures and irregular edges record fossilisation, compaction and later exposure. These authentic geological features are part of the specimen rather than manufactured defects.
La Clapier and Aveyron
Aveyron lies in southern France within a geologically varied region influenced by the Massif Central and surrounding sedimentary basins. Jurassic marine rocks preserve evidence of former Tethyan environments, while uplift and erosion have exposed fossil-bearing strata across valleys, plateaux and escarpments.
The recorded locality of La Clapier adds specific provenance to this fossil. Ammonites from southern French successions allow palaeontologists to compare regional strata with equivalent Toarcian rocks elsewhere in Europe. A Pleydellia from this setting represents an extinct cephalopod that lived in a sea covering the area more than 170 million years ago.
After death, burial on the seabed protected part of the shell long enough for mineralisation and fossilisation. Later geological movement and erosion exposed the rock containing this ancient record of marine life.
Actual Specimen and Authenticity
You will receive the exact fossil shown in the photographs. Its named species, Upper Toarcian age and Aveyron provenance make it suitable for a specialist ammonite collection, geological study, educational display or a distinctive French fossil gift. It includes a generic Certificate of Authenticity card carrying a lifetime guarantee of authenticity.
Handle the specimen carefully and avoid soaking, harsh cleaning products, excessive humidity and sudden temperature changes. Display it securely so natural edges, matrix and any exposed shell ornament remain protected.
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